M.A. - Archaeology

At the M.A. level, the department offers supervision in the archaeology of ancient and prehistoric art, the politics of archaeology, archaeology of the contemporary past, historical archaeology, and the archaeology of prehistoric Europe. Topics of current and recent student theses include the archaeology of Japanese-American internment camps during the Second World War, the origin of the Neolithic in Croatia, Mimbres-like figurative motifs on rock art, and the historical archaeology of the Presidio. Successful applicants will have interests that closely map onto the the work of Professor Doug Bailey and Dr Meredith Reifschneider; applicants are advised to review these faculty member's websites for further details and then to contact them by email to discuss possible areas of mutual interest.

Art/Archaeology

In addition, the department is at the center for the development of a new sub-discipline: art/archaeology. Professor Bailey and his students lead this initiative as it emerges as new and provocative research field. Applications are particularly encouraged from prospective students who wish to work on the following topics: visual representation in archaeology; the agency of the archive; art practice as archaeology / archaeology as art practice; radical re-interpretations of ancient and prehistoric art; archaeology as montage/collage; and the application of DADA and Surrealism to archaeological production. Potential applicants interested in this area of work are encouraged to contact Professor Bailey at dwbailey@sfsu.edu. In many cases graduate students working in the Department on art/archaeology topics have interests that cross-over between archaeology and visual culture (and thus with the work of Professor Peter Biella).

In all instances applicants are urged to contact Professor Bailey and Dr Reifschneider early in their application process to discuss possible research interests and thesis or creative project topics.